


Goldsmith

by MooseFeels



Series: Revelation [8]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Castiel, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Domestic, Halloween, M/M, Omega Dean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-05
Updated: 2015-10-30
Packaged: 2018-04-24 22:33:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4937701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MooseFeels/pseuds/MooseFeels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean's going to hold an open house for Halloween.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Baby, are you sure about this?" Castiel asks, watching Dean bring another laden paper bag into the kitchen.

Dean places it on the counter and sighs heavily and looks over at him. He rolls his eyes. He shrugs a little. He pulls his pad out of his pocket and writes, We've been here for a little while now. Why not? It could be fun and the pack could come see the house.

"You understand that we don't have to, right? This isn't compulsory," Castiel responds.

Dean nods. He flips a few pages back in the pad and pulls up a sheet that says, I'm doing this because I want to, not because I have to. It's circled a few times. It's underlined. It's written as much as an affirmation to Dean himself as it is to a declaration to Castiel. Dean says it a few times a day at least, sometimes leaving the page open on the counter, sometimes writing it on the chalkboard the have by the back door.

Besides, he writes on another page, Gabriel wants to help. It'll be fun, Angel.

He steps back outside and slams door of the truck shut. Dean smiles, and Castiel feels warmth at it. "Alright," he says. "Have fun! Don't burn the house down. I'll be in the woods."

Dean gives him a quick, chaste peck on the cheek that leaves Castiel a little flushed and flustered, and Castiel jogs down the path away from the house and into the woods.

It's fall now, little more than halfway through October. The leaves started to turn about three weeks ago, leaving the woods equally gold and red as they are deep dark green. It rained last night and into this morning, making the leaves underfoot damp and musty. It feels so right. It feels exactly how these woods are supposed to feel. Castiel lives for this feeling; this sensation.

He's not sure how much of that is the seasons or just being near Dean. Living with him. Waking up next to him, falling asleep beside him. Sometimes waking up to his voice, a rough and raspy, “Good morning,” followed by a bright smile. Sometimes just waking up to his hand nestling into his own fingers.

Dean calls him nicknames, said and written. Baby. Honey. Darling. Angel.

Castiel likes Angel best, if he were forced to pick.

He’s been working hard the past couple of weeks. Moving in with Dean meant that he was out of commission for a little while and the keeping of lands fell mostly to volunteers in the pack- Benny did what he could and Anna and Ellen helped when they could make it but mostly-

A few things need to be done.

There are trails that need upkeep and there are a few trees that need to be either pruned or taken down entirely. There’s a few beehives Castiel wants to work on relocating deeper into the woods so that most of the hikers and campers won’t encounter them but he’s going to need some help with that from Missouri and some other people in town- proper bee-whisperers.

There’s a lot to do.

* * *

 

Dean watches Castiel jog away, down the path, for a while and then he turns away and goes back into the house. One of the bags is basically full of candy and the other has butter and sugar and eggs and- it has ingredients. Gabriel’s coming over, which means that they’re going to be cooking. Cookies, cupcakes, candy apples. Dean needs something to do with his hands and Gabriel loves being able to do this without restraint. Fondant and caramel and royal icing and buttercream and meringue. They both love a project.

Dean pulls out a pot and places it on the stove and dumps a cup and a half of sugar into it, turning the heat on low.

He’ll start with caramel apples.

“Hey kiddo,” Dean hears after a few minutes. “How you doing?”

Dean shrugs. The sugar has melted by now, slowly coming to a browning simmer.

“Is it just you and me?” Gabriel asks.

Dean nods.

“Alright then,” Gabriel comments, rolling up his sleeves. “Let’s get busy.”


	2. Chapter 2

It’s going really well, actually. Castiel’s pretty sure that the whole damn elementary school has shown up, along with the handful of teachers that work there. There’s a couple of teenagers that were dragged along by younger siblings and their parents and then there’s Charlie and that girl she’s been pretty serious with for a few years now- Gilda. There’s Benny and Ellen and Jo and Missouri. There’s of course Anna and Gabriel, who have been around the house before but are here with the rest of the pack anyway.

Castiel watches Dean greet them with a warm smile and a handshake, a firm nod for people he’s met before, the occasional wink as well. There’s about a dozen little princesses swarming around, in gold and blue and pink dresses, but also a fair share of witches and kitty-cats. Gabriel’s a cowboy, complete with stick horse, Anna’s wearing an elaborate, draping outfit in white and pink and purple as a jellyfish, and Castiel has repurposed an apron and some red paint to be a mad chef. Dean though, is fully outfitted as Han Solo, in a costume he constructed himself.

And goddamn. He looks so happy. He puts candy and cookies into trick-or-treat bags and dies appropriately in mock shoot-outs with cowboys and storm troopers and witches. He uses his notebook every once in a while for the rare question that can’t be answered with gestures or simply guiding someone to the bathroom. And everyone is having such a good time and Dean seems so happy. He seems so at home here.

There’s a knock at the door and Castiel darts off to answer it while Dean patiently listens to a pup excitedly tell an elaborate story about something. Castiel answers it and there’s a beautiful woman and a bright-eyed young pup at the door.

“Hello,” she says. “Is this the pack event? The directions weren’t terribly clear and I didn’t want to get lost.”

Castiel smiles. “Please,” he says. “Come on in.”

She has long dark hair and deep brown skin. She has red lips, the same color as her blouse. It works well with the few pieces of gold jewelry she’s wearing. The little girl has her long dark hair as well, but her eyes are of a slightly different color, imbued with a whiskey kind of color. She’s dressed in khaki shorts and shirt and holding a stuffed monkey. She clutches her mother’s leg, though, intently.

“Hello,” Castiel says, squatting down to her level. “May I ask who you are dressed as?”

She mumbles something, her little voice lilting and soft.

“She’s Jane Goodall,” her mother answers. “Baby girl loves primatology.”

Castiel is very impressed and is just about to ask her what the name of her stuffed chimp is when the little girl shrieks, “ _Daddy_!” and runs off.

To Gabriel.

She nearly tackles him, and Castiel can hear his brother go _oomph_! as she runs into his legs.

He’s silent for a moment before he exclaims, “Esther!”

And Castiel’s brother laughs, brightly, ecstatically, and picks the kid up and kisses her on the cheek and swings her in a small circle.

“Baby girl, how did you get here?” He asks.

“It’s a long flight to Seattle,” the woman says, the mother.

Gabriel’s eyes float from the little girl, Esther, to the mother in the doorway and his expression shifts. Somehow, his eyes become even softer, even more surprised. And Gabriel smiles, a little more, and he says, “Kali.”

Like the both of them are everything in the world.

Castiel looks to Dean, who looks as surprised as he feels, but differently surprised.

Castiel clears his throat. “It’s been a lovely seeing all of you,” he announces into the space, “but there’s still school tomorrow and I know that little ones should probably head to sleep.”

There’s a chorus of moans and a singular squeal from a pup as Dean bends forward to tickle her mercilessly.

The parents of the pack all begin ushering their children from the house, taking more candy and sweets with them as they go, thanking Castiel and Dean graciously for the evening.

And soon they all go.

Leaving Dean and Castiel and Anna and Gabriel and-

And these two strangers.

“Gabriel?” Castiel asks.

“Hi,” Gabriel says. “So uh, I guess it’s time you guys met the family.”


	3. Chapter 3

Esther has eyes like her father but her mother’s everything else. Dean notices it easily, but then she smiles and Dean sees more of Gabriel yet still.

“I’m Esther Chatterjee,” she says. Her voice is slightly accented and high and sweet. “Who are you?”

Dean pulls out his notebook and writes his name.

She looks at it quizzically.

“Do you have a cold?” She asks.

Dean nods. It’s quicker than the real reason and less scary.

“I will tell Maaji and she will make you tea with ginger and give you a turmeric pill and you will feel much better,” she answers. “When I get sick, that is what she does for me and it is very helpful.”

Dean smiles at her.   
How old are you? He writes.

“I am five,” she answers. “How old are you? My bapu says you are very brave and very strong. He writes me letters and he says that you make my uncle very happy, which must be good because my bapu loves my uncle very much. My bapu loves everyone very much. He is a good man.”

Dean smiles at her, warmly.

* * *

 

Dean and Esther, this tiny child, are sitting on the floor at the corner, talking.

Gabriel is pacing back and forth from the kitchen to the living room and Kali is standing near the bookcase.

“So,” Gabriel says, “that uh...that time I kind of...went on a long vacation and spent all that time in Sri Lanka and uh...those other times I kind of took some time off. “

“You never told us,” Anna says. “Where you were going or who you were going with or-”

“It happened at a complicated time,” he says. “It was right as Cas was getting out of- right after Dad and- and I didn’t want to- we didn’t think it would be anything- but then- and I didn’t know how to tell you. There was so much going on and everyone needed so much and I just...it was never a good time.”

“You have a kid?” He asks. “You have a kid? How old is she?  How long-”

“She’s five,” Gabriel answers. “She’s in kindergarten at the international school-”

“Actually,” Kali interrupts, “we need to talk about that.”

Gabriel turns to her, eyebrow raised.

“I got an assignment,” she says. “In Afghanistan.”

Gabriel’s eyes become a little wider, a little looser. “Really?” He asks, sounding a little startled. “Baby, that’s amazing when do you start-”

“Soon,” she answers. “But before I accept the assignment, I want to make sure Esther has somewhere safe to stay. The area is stabilizing but I know- I know she would be safer here. And I know you miss her; she misses you.”

Castiel looks at tiny Esther, in her khaki and with her stuffed chimp. Looks at the way she has already sidled up so close to Dean- she must be able to scent him and gain comfort.

Castiel looks back to his brother.

“Have you already talked to her about it?” Gabriel asks.

Kali shakes her head. “I didn’t want to promise her, without being sure from you,” she says. “I know that...I know that you keep us distant for your own reasons.”

“No,” Gabriel says, “no, Kali, you have to understand- I want her- I want both of you here, so much but, jeez, what if I-”

“You won’t,” she interrupts. “I know you. And you won’t.”

“If I hurt her or-”

“You won’t,” she repeats.

Gabriel looks, from this woman to their daughter.

Kali’s eyes flick to Castiel. “You are the brother,” she says.

“I am,” Castiel answers.

“The addict,” she continues.

Gabriel turns instantly back to her, opens his mouth, but Castiel cuts him off.

“Once,” Castiel says. “A little while ago. I’ve been sober for a little more than since your child has been alive.”

Kali’s eyes are serious. “My child is my entire universe,” she says. “And I understand that this is also your pack. Will she be allowed into your community?”

“Yes,” Castiel answers, without hesitation.

Kali nods.

* * *

 

Gabriel walks over after a little while and sits down next to Esther, which quickly becomes Esther sitting in his lap and Gabriel braiding her hair.

“Hey dumpling,” Gabriel says. “Have you been talking to Dean?”

Esther nods. “He said he has a cold. You should tell Maaji so she can make tea with ginger for him; that will make him well again,” she says quickly, her little voice like birdsong.

“Dean has a more serious kind of cold,” Gabriel answers. “He’s tried tea and it helps sometimes but not all the time. You are very good to suggest that, though.”

“Oh,” she says. “Okay.”

“So your Maaji got a very nice job,” Gabriel says. “She would get to do some important work, but in a place that is a little dangerous. So we were thinking, maybe you could come stay with me for a little while.”

There is a silence for a little while, as if she is considering this. “Could I still go to kindergarten?” She asks.

“Of course,” Gabriel answers.

“And you would still make pancakes?” She asks again. “Not just for when we are in Colombo?”

“Of course,” Gabriel replies.

“And Maaji would write letters instead of you?” She asks.

“Yes,” Gabriel answers.

“I think I would like that,” Esther replies, mildly.

“You don’t have to know right now,” Gabriel says. “You can go to sleep tonight and answer in the morning.”

Esther nods. “Okay, Bapu,” she says. “Would we get to see your brother and Dean and your sister?”

“Of course,” Gabriel replies.

Esther punctuates this with an expressive yawn. Dean can see the places where she has already lost a few teeth, the little gaps.

Dean stands up, gestures toward Gabriel and Esther for them to follow him, and leads them toward a guest room in the house.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

When Castiel comes upstairs, to bed, Dean is already out of his costume and into his shirt and boxers for sleeping. He doesn’t like sleep in his skin. For how much Dean has changed- how much he shares with Castiel and the people around him- Dean is still _painfully_ self-conscious. The bandage is gone most days, but it reappears sometimes. It was incredible that it was off tonight, to be honest, and Castiel feels a swelling of a kind of pride at that. How _brave_ Dean is, how willing Dean is to do these frightening things. These things Castiel is afraid of.

Dean doesn’t see the way he’s brave and beautiful, and it breaks Castiel’s heart.

The lamps are on, the overhead light off. Dean’s under the blankets, curled up with their pillows. They make the bed every morning, and the first thing Dean does at night is rearrange the whole setup.

Castiel sits down, begins to unbutton his own shirt.

“I knew,” Dean says, softly.

Castiel pauses, listening. Trying to hear it.

“Gabriel told me, a few months ago. Right after I found out, about...about not being able to have a baby,” he says. “I didn’t want to hurt him by telling you. I’m sorry if I hurt you, by not...not giving you that knowledge.”

Castiel revels in that for a minute. Feels it wash over him.

He’s furious with Gabriel. Having a kid is a big...a big deal. Having a kid with a war correspondent, whose job is to chase danger, is also a big deal. It’s not that Castiel blames his brother for wanting the distance, but what if-

What if Esther had gotten hurt?

What would they do? What would Gabriel do?

Would there be pack obligations?

Would Esther have pack rights?

Would Castiel have pack rights, to see her in the hospital? To pay for her bills?

Would _Gabriel_?

And what if Kali gets hurt?

But now isn’t the time to get mad at Gabriel. It’s not that Castiel doesn’t want Esther here, and that’s how it would read to everyone.

And Dean’s not at fault.

“I’m not hurt by you,” Castiel murmurs. “I’m hurt that Gabriel didn’t feel like we- like Anna and I- deserved to know. Or that- that she and I couldn’t handle knowing or we would be bad at knowing.”

He thinks for a moment, before he adds, “I think you did the right thing by not telling me. You and I, we're different people. We're connected, but your relationship to Gabriel is separate from my relationship to him. And it's okay that those mean different things. Gabriel needs friends."

He lets his hand drift toward Dean, and his fingers come to meet him. They tangle together, close and tight. Castiel lets his fingers sweep over his skin, his knuckles. Castiel loves the feeling of Dean’s hands.

“I love you,” Castiel murmurs.

Dean squeezes his hand, in that kind of way that Castiel knows is an I know.

Dean needs affirmation. Castiel is glad to give it to him.

“I hope she stays,” Dean says, so quietly Castiel can barely hear him.

Castiel squeezes his hand, in that kind of way that Dean knows is an I know.

“She’s sweet,” Dean murmurs. “She loves Gabriel, and you, by extension.”

Castiel finds himself smiling. “Yeah?” he asks.

Dean nods. “Apparently, Gabriel mentioned you in his letters. Her Uncle Castiel.”

Castiel flips over into the bed, facing Dean. He can see his bright green eyes in the low light. They are so warm, so trusting. So happy.

Castiel feels his heart ache a little, with the knowledge that some of this is probably the warmth of a pup downstairs, safe in bed. Safe in their nest. Not their pup, not their baby. But here, even if just transitory.

“Do you think you could help me in the studio? I talked to some of the people in the pack and- and I had an idea,” Dean says.

Castiel smiles. “Of course,” he answers.

  
  



	5. Chapter 5

When Esther wakes up the next morning, Dean is making breakfast with Gabriel.

They’ve got cinnamon buns in one oven and bacon in the other; Gabriel is whisking eggs for omelettes while Dean makes short work of a mountain of vegetables and grates cheese.

She rubs at her eyes with her small hands and yawns, hugely. Expressively.

Dean smiles at her, and she smiles back.

“Bapu,” she says softly. “Can my eggs have spinach and tomatoes in them?”

“Of course,” Gabriel answers easily. “I got spinach this morning just for you. I’m not sure I make it as good as your Mama does, though.”

“Is Maaji here still?” She asks softly.

“Yes,” Gabriel answers. “I just didn’t want to wake her quite yet. If you’d like to bring her some coffee though, I don’t think she’d mind.”

Esther nods, a little seriously. “I am tired still,” she says, instead of getting up or answering the question. Dean finds himself smiling from her.

“Well, Babygirl, you’re probably a little jetlagged. You’re body is remembering being in Colombo instead of here and you’re sleepy because of it. It’ll take a few days, but you’ll be just fine.”

“Is Maaji jetlagged?” She asks.

Gabriel nods. “More than likely, although she has some practice at being jetlagged that you don’t quite yet have.”

“Is this your house?” She asks.

“No,” Gabriel answers. “This is Dean and Castiel’s house.”

“Where do you live?” She asks.

“In town, with my sister Anna. We live over the diner that I own, in an apartment.”

“Why didn’t we stay there last night?” She asks.

“Because by the time your mama and I were done talking it was very, very late and we did not want to wake you and I didn’t feel like I could make the walk home on my own and I shouldn’t have been driving,” he answers.

“Is it far?” she asks.

“Not at all,” Gabriel answers. Closer to here than your school was in Colombo. It feels a little longer though because it’s through the woods and not the city.”

Dean coughs a few times, clearing his throat. “You’re always welcome to stay here with Cas and I if you would like, though,” he says, his voice rough and quiet to his own ears. He hopes she heard the first time; he’s not sure he has it in himself to say it twice.

“Did Maaji and Bapu make tea?” She asks. “Did your cold get better?”  
Dean smiles, placing a plate with a cinnamon roll and some bacon in front of her. “It comes and goes,” he answers.

“Oh,” she says. “You should see a doctor then like my Nani; she could give you good medicine.”

“Dean sees his own doctors, Babygirl, don’t worry,” Gabriel says. “Will you eat the bacon or should I take it?”

“No thank you,” she answers, and Gabriel takes the two pieces off of the plate and bites into them.

“She’s a vegetarian,” Gabriel tells Dean, offhandedly. “She and her mother both. I’m gonna have to go buy some chickpeas.” He grins

Dean smiles at Gabriel, and Castiel comes down the stairs, wearing the clothes he slept in; the loose shirt and pajama pants. He leans forward and kisses Dean on the cheek before pouring himself a cup of coffee and sitting down at the table beside Esther.

“Hello, Miss Esther,” Castiel says by way of greeting. “I certainly hope you slept well.”

“Yes, Uncle Castiel,” she says. “Is it always so cold here?”

Castiel laughs, like he was born for laughter, like he has never loved anything so much in his life as laughter. “Sometimes even colder!” He exclaims.

Esther’s eyes go wide, like this is unbelievable to her.

Dean wishes, so badly, that this child was his and Castiel’s. He wishes he saw in her Castiel’s blue eyes instead of Gabriel’s gold. He wishes she had Castiel’s messy black hair and he wishes she called him Daddy and-

Dean wants a pup so bad it hurts him.

Gabriel finishes her eggs and tosses them onto another plate, and Dean happily places it before her. She cuts into into a bite and chews happily, clearly pleased by the abundance of spinach.

“What are we doing today?” Esther asks.

“Well,” Gabriel begins, “you and I are going to get you settled in at my house, if you’d like. I’m not sure what Dean and Castiel plan to be doing, and I reckon your maaji will be with you and I.”

Esther turns to Dean and says, “What are you going to do today?”

Dean shrugs a little. “Cas is going to come help me in my studio,” he answers. “I’ve talked to some of the people at the elementary school and I might help them out and hang out with some people your age and make art.”

Castiel looks at him with warm, soft eyes.

“You’re an artist?” Esther asks.

Dean nods a couple of times and sits down at the table with his own plate. Bacon and eggs and a cinnamon bun of his own.

“Dean likes to work with textiles,” Castiel answers. “He makes very lovely work.”  
“That’s like embroidery, right?” Esther asks.

“Sometimes,” Dean answers. “I’m weaving some pieces right now though and I usually like to work with knots.”  
“That’s cool!” Esther exclaims, suddenly all energy.

Dean smiles at her as Gabriel takes a seat too. “It’s pretty cool. His works are fantastic,” he says.

“What do you do?” Esther asks, to Castiel.

“I’m the pack Alpha,” Castiel answers. “Which means I have to make sure that everyone in the community is healthy and safe, but also it’s important that I take care of the land that our pack lives on. So mostly I spend a lot of time hiking and checking on deer and bears and the health of the forest.”

Esther nods, contemplatively.

Dean eats, and hurts.

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

“Okay,” Castiel says, slamming the door to the truck. “What are we doing today?”

“I need to rearrange the space for the children,” Dean answers. “The tables are too high right now for them. I was wondering if you could help me saw the legs down from one of them so that I could put benches along it. And I need help making it...happy in here.”

Castiel looks at the space, sees how spartan Dean keeps it. It’s a working studio, so there are a few unfinished projects left around and a few postcards tacked to the wall, but it’s not a space for children.

“Was it your idea,” Castiel begins, “or the PTA’s, for you to teach art?”

Dean looks over at him and smiles a little. “It was their idea but don’t go thinking they bullied me into it or anything, Cas, jeez.”

Castiel finds himself laughing as he pulls boxes fulls of twine and rolls of material off of a table, transferring it to closets and cabinets.

“You’re going to want to put away the big shears and the welding torch,” Castiel says.

“Why?” Dean asks.

Castiel looks up at him, befuddled. “They’re going to be seven, eight years old,” he answers.

“And?” Dean replies, hefting a huge roll of deep blue cord off of a table and putting it into a cabinet. “I was two years younger than them when I got my first knife.”  
“Dearest, it’s school, what if they cut themselves?” Castiel continues, looking at his husband incredulously.

“You learn at school,” Dean answers, shrugging. “If they got hurt, I suppose they’d learn something important.”

Castiel looks over at him, to where Dean is looking down at his own hand.

“I learned,” he continues, before looking up and grabbing a broom. “And I’m not just going to give it to them without telling them how to use it. It’s important that they know. That they learn.”

“I take it you haven’t talked to the PTA about this,” Castiel says.

“I don’t want to- I can’t-” Dean sighs. Stops sweeping and closes his eyes tight against the world. “I’m not going to tell them about- about before. They don’t...they don’t have to know, and I’m- they’d just give me fucking pity.” He exhales, short and hard. “I’m not ready to answer questions from them, okay?”

Castiel looks at him, until his eyes open again, finding Castiel.

“Okay?” He repeats, his voice becoming very small again.

“Okay,” Castiel answers. “It’s your class. I trust you.”

Dean exhales suddenly, clearing it from himself.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs softly. “I’m sorry- G-gabriel and Esther have me a-a-all fffucked up.”

Dean stands there for a moment, clenching and unclenching his fists, and then he steps out of the room and goes outside, taking long, stomping strides away from the studio and toward the beach.

Castiel watches him go for a moment, and then he drops the broom and follows him.

“Dean,” he calls after him, jogging to catch up. “Dean, please, communicate with me, Dearest.”

Dean sighs and closes his eyes. He’s crying, the barest beginnings of tears to gather at the corners of his eyes, making his cheeks damp. His fists are clenched, as is his jaw. The whole physical presence of him is strung tight. He’s lost his voice, Castiel can read that on him, but Dean is frying with that energy of needing to communicate an idea, and Castiel-

Castiel needs him to communicate it.

The wind is wild outside, pushing into their ears and buffeting their skin. It blurs the edges of hearing, makes even the wideness of outside feel tightly drawn and over-close.

Castiel lets his hands rest on Dean’s shoulders, lets Dean rock forward and rest his forehead against his own forehead.

And they stand there for a long, long time, before Dean says, “I thought I was okay with not- not having pups. Or I thought- I thought I was okay with not carrying pups. And it turns out- it turns out I’m not.” He pauses, taking a shuddering breath, steeling himself. “It feels so full when she’s in the house and I hate that I’m doing this to her and Gabriel.”

Castiel holds him, pulling him in all the way. “I know,” he says.

The wind blows around them, over them, against them.

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

Gabriel watches Kali and Esther; the way she holds her daughter- their daughter- for a long, unending moment. Kali's hand passes over Esther's long black hair, smoothing it down. She pulls away from her, and Gabriel turns away, lets them have this moment.

They share a few sentences between each other in Hindi, Esther's high voice pricking against Gabriel's ears.

"Be good for your Bapu," she says, a little louder and very seriously. "And I will write you every week, like your Bapu has in the past and you will write me every week, remember?"

Esther nods, her head held between Kali's hands. Kali leans forward and gives her a quick kiss on the forehead. The share more in Hindi, they hug once more, and then Kali stands and walks into the airport, leaving Esther and Gabriel outside of the gate, to watch her go.

Gabriel walks to her side of the car and takes her hand. They stand there for a few minutes, watching the coming and going of the people.

He looks down at her, his tiny daughter.

He thinks about Kali and where she might be headed, and he thinks about how Esther might think of that. Consider that.

"You are very brave," Gabriel says, softly. "And I am very happy that you are staying with me."

Esther squeezes his hand a little more tightly. "Can we go back to your house?" She asks.

Gabriel nods. They walk back to the parking lot, to the car, and they leave.

* * *

 

Kali has left and Esther's small bag has been packed up and sent to Gabriel's apartment and Dean finds himself lingering in the room she stayed in, just a little bit.

The blankets are still rumpled from where she slept and the room smells a little like her, that sweet smell of pup. Still nondescript and clean. Dean's not related to her by blood so he doesn't smell the nuances of her scent while she's so young. When she hits puberty, her scent will pick up more dimension and change a little. But for now, she just smells like a child. The scent weaves powerfully with the smell of nest and alpha and home.

Dean sits on the bed in the room for a few minutes more, before he stands and strips the sheets and goes to wash them.

She's Gabriel's daughter, his niece (kind of). He's allowed to love her and be her friend and talk to her but she's not his and it's not fair to her or to Gabriel to try to be a father when she's already got one. And it's not healthy to try to hold on that.

He's allowed to want a baby, to want a pup. He's allowed to crave that. But he can't let it fuck up these relationships he's already got and he's earning.

He starts the washing machine and puts new sheets on the bed. He heads back to the wide, open kitchen and turns on his record player. He sits at the kitchen table, and he does what he always does when he's freaked out and is having trouble making heads or tails of everything.

He makes knots.

His knots are still a big deal, as it happens. He gets a check in the mail every month from the galleries that sell them and they make good money. Not that he needs it though- Castiel is paid for his service to the pack for his work on the trails in the woods and by the lake and they already have a house and there's the money from when he was cast out that's also sitting there, gathering interest and being enormous. So Dean splits the check- some of it goes to getting more supplies and to the rent he owes the pack for his studio space and some of it goes in his bank account for a rainy day and the rest of it goes to the pack itself. Everyone pays pack dues, to support stuff like the schools and the food bank and a fair amount of the sheriff's office. In Montana, there had been tithes so the idea isn't unfamiliar to Dean but he understands that it's just a little bit at the end of the year, not most of the pay every time.

If the pack is going to use it, it's more important that they have it than Dean hold onto it and not know what to do with it. And they did so much for him, he should pay the kindness back.

Right now, he's working on something weird, though. He's working in dark and light blues, making knot after knot after knot. He wants to put them all on a backing, to make a seascape of them all to drape over something. Maybe something like a cape? It should move- this Dean knows.

Dean ties, moving the cord, and lets himself become lost in the creation.


	8. Chapter 8

There are six children in the pack in the kindergarten class and they are all very small and very well behaved.

Dean has met all of them before- Dean has met most of the pack by this point, if not all of it, but the children he knows particularly well.

They walk from the village to the beach, where Dean is waiting for them. It’s a windy morning, the late October air brushing and bruising against them. They’re all holding hands together, a tight chain united against the twin threats of weather and short attention spans, led by Gilda, their teacher.

“Hello Mr. Dean!” They greet him as a chorus, unified and high pitched.

He waves at them. He has his voice today but he can’t quite get it loud enough to carry over the wind. He gestures for them to walk just a little further, to the studio, and they follow,

“Hello,” he says, keeping his voice just a little low. They can hear him but he knows that if he keeps his voice down, it will set the air of the room. “You’re all going to help me make some art today. I’m so glad all of you are here.”

Some of them giggle a little, their small voice bright and happy.

They’re still little enough that just the smell of Dean is enough to make them calm and sweet and happy. And honestly, they’re little enough that the smell of them makes Dean feel happy and warm and complete.

“Do any of you know anything about tying knots?” He says. “Anyone gone fishing or maybe knit or crochet with you parents?”

There’s some nodding heads and a couple of loud No’s!

And Dean smiles at all of them.

“Well,” he says, “I want to teach all of you how to tie a couple of very special knots. It's a little tricky and it takes some practice, but I think if we work together, we can do it.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the timestamp for October. November is up next.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So I want to do some like, seasonal kind of additions to this series for the next few (several many) months, revolving around a kind of seasonal theme- so "Goldsmith" is focusing on mid/early autumn and Halloween and the next chapter will focus on Thanksgiving.  
> 


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